


Snowed Inn

by itsmeash



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: AU, F/M, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, because that trope is the absolute best, doesn't matter what world they're in, nabrina are true love, no matter what happens that may make it seem otherwise, snowy wonderland, somewhat of a slow burn, will definitely have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-10-13 11:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20582042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmeash/pseuds/itsmeash
Summary: Sabrina thinks that becoming stranded in a remote location with a handsome stranger only happens in books and movies — until a room mishap and a raging snowstorm force her into that very tale. But that doesn't necessarily mean it will end happily ever after.





	1. One Room Left

**Author's Note:**

> Here it finally is! The Nabrina AU that everyone on Tumblr said they wanted to read more than any of the other AU options. I really enjoyed writing this first chapter, and I hope you all enjoy reading it just as much.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. It is not mine, and it never will be. I just like playing around with the characters sometimes.

"Yeah, yeah. I should be home by tomorrow night," Sabrina says to her aunt, Zelda, through the phone, staring intently at the snow covered road ahead of her. "As long as I can survive this blizzard that seems to be starting up."

"Stop somewhere if you can, there's no rush."

"Are you sure? I thought you said I needed to be there as soon as possible."

"I did say that. However, I'd much rather you end up here late and alive than try to be on time, and get hurt or die."

"Alright, I'll stop at the next place I come across."

"Good. Call me once you safe and settled."

"I will. Love you."

"Love you, too."

The phone call ends and Sabrina throws her phone into the passenger's seat. The snow fall begins to get heavier, the road is getting harder for her to see. Sabrina glances at each side of the road to see if she can see any lights from a motel, or a hotel... or even an inn; she just needed to find somewhere to be safe for the night.

Driving another mile or two, she finally comes across a small town. The streets were bare, every other street light was on permeating the town with just enough light to make someone feel safe walking down the street alone. Sabrina drives slowly through town, looking for a hotel or inn, anywhere. Luck is on her side moments later as a neon sign for _Forest Lane Inn _appears on the side of the street.

She pulls into the parking lot, parking as close to the front door as she can. The snow was falling much heavier now, so much so that the second she turns off her car, her windshield is damn near covered in the white substance. She quickly grabs her overnight bag from the back and her cellphone from the passenger's seat.

Sabrina takes a deep breath and throws her car door open, making sure to lock it before slamming it shut and running for the inn door. Only seconds in the snow and she's got a chill. She swings the inn door open, and steps inside; the door shuts loudly behind her, causing her to jump slightly.

"Darn it," she mutters under her breath, placing a hand on her chest over her beating heart.

As she makes her way up to the front desk, Sabrina takes her beanie off and shakes the snow off it. There is no one at the counter when she approaches it, however, there is a silver bell. She reaches for it, ringing it once and then twice.

It isn't longer than thirty seconds before a middle-aged woman appears from an open doorway that leads to another area of the inn.

"Hello, miss. How can I help you?" she asks with a smile.

"Are there any more rooms available?" Sabrina asks, leaning against the counter. "The snow is falling way too much for me to get home tonight."

The woman looks down at her book, trailing a finger down the page. She nods as she reaches halfway down the page. "You're in luck. There is one last room available."

Sabrina smiles, relieved. "Oh, good. I'll take it."

"It'll be $165 for the night."

Sabrina's eyes widen. "$165.00?! For just the night?"

The woman nods. "The last room we have is the best room in the best. It has a sitting area, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a half kitchen. Plus a really nice view of the lake."

"Okay. Maybe I can find a way to pay that," Sabrina says quietly.

It's a lot to pay for just one night, but it's either pay it and be warm all night... or she stays in her car and likely freezes. Warm wins, hands down.

Just as she's searching for money in her purse, the front door opens. Sabrina keeps searching, but vaguely listens in on the conversation between the woman and man, based on the other voice, that just entered. He, too, is there because of the sudden insane snow fall. The woman tells him that the last room has just been taken. He's obviously unsure of what to do afterwards. That's when the idea comes to Sabrina.

Sabrina stands up straight, and turns to the man. Her jaw drops only slightly upon seeing him for the first time. If she had to guess, he was about her age. His black hair was slightly slicked back with just the right amount of hair gel, and he wore all black. But that wasn't surprising considering the weather outside.

The man smiles at her, and she smiles back briefly.

Sabrina turns back to the woman managing the front counter. "The room has a living area, right?"

The woman nods. "Yes, it does," she answers.

"Okay then," she says before turning back to the man. "If you agree to pay half of the room fee and stay out in the living area, you can bunk with me."

The man smirks. "You don't even know me," he muses, stepping towards her. "What if I am a serial killer or something?"

Sabrina shrugs. "Hence, the reason you're staying in the living area, and I'm staying behind a door that locks." She grins. "Besides, who is to say I'm not the serial killer."

"Touché."

"So do we have a deal?" Sabrina asks, reaching her hand out.

The man looks towards the door where the snow is clearly falling harder than just moments before. "Deal," he says, nodding as he turns back to Sabrina and takes her hand.

Sabrina smiles briefly before shaking her head and turning to the woman at the desk. "Do you have two keys for the room?"

**~snowedinn~**

"Due to the fact that we are going to be rooming together tonight, I suppose we should introduce ourselves," the man says as they enter their room for the night. "I'm Nick Scratch."

Sabrina drops her bag inside the door, and turns to him. "Sabrina Spellman," she replies, sticking her hand out. "It's nice to officially meet you, Nick Scratch."

Nick smiles, taking her hand and shaking it. "Likewise."

"The couch looks comfy," Sabrina muses, looking around the room. "Hopefully you can sleep well tonight."

"It's only for one night." He shrugs. "And it's much better than having to sleep outside in my car."

"That is for sure. It's freezing out there!"

"Tell me about it. I was out in it for not even a minute, and I swear my body temperature went down ten degrees at least."

Sabrina laughs as she shrugs out of her coat and hangs it up on the coat rack by the door. "Definite exaggeration, but I can believe it."

Turning around, she takes in the room. The room has a living room with a decent sized couch... Nick should fit and get a good night's sleep... as well as two matching chairs, two glass side tables, and a matching glass coffee table. In front of the living area is a big armoire that Sabrina is sure holds a tv of some sort. Since she's only there for the night, she doesn't feel the need to confirm that. She's here to sleep, not watch tv.

To the left of the living area, there is a pair of double doors that likely lead to the bedroom. To the right, there's a single door which no doubt leads to the bathroom. The room looks more like a mini apartment than it does a guest room for an inn. Not that Sabrina is complaining. It all feels very homely as an inn should.

"Care for some coffee?" Nick asks, interrupting Sabrina's look through of the room, as he walks over to the little kitchen area that is tucked in the corner of the room.

Sabrina narrows her eyes, staring at his retreating back and watching his muscles revealed by his tight shirt. She mentally smacks herself to get herself back in check. "You're not going to slip something into it, are you?" she asks, only half teasing.

"If you really thought I was a bad guy, you wouldn't have agreed to share this room with me."

"I can never be too sure. Plus, who is to say I'm not just a really kindhearted person who couldn't bare to have you sleeping outside in this cold?"

"I doubt anybody is_ that _kindhearted."

Sabrina gives him a pointed look. "I'm letting you stay here tonight, aren't I?"

Nick thinks it over for a short time. "Alright, point well made."

A smile lights up Sabrina's face as she momentarily delves in her small win. "I will take that coffee, though."

**~snowedinn~**

What seems like minutes, but is actually hours, pass by as Sabrina and Nick talk over a couple cups of coffee. It turns out they had both been travelling to visit friends and family. So talking to each other despite only knowing each other for one night before going their separate ways was nice for them both.

Tomorrow they'd both pack up their things, head out and never see each other again. Sabrina wouldn't say it out loud, but it kind of sucked. She was enjoying the easy, no strings attached, conversation she and Nick were having. It wasn't that easy for her to find a guy who would talk to her like this without expecting something sexual from her in return.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Sabrina sighs. It's going on one in the morning and she still has a little ways to go before she gets to her aunt's house. The more sleep she could get before then, the better.

"It's getting late," Sabrina points out, tilting her head towards the clock. "Got a long drive ahead of me, and you probably do, too."

Nick nods as he stands up, picks up both of their empty coffee mugs and goes over to the kitchen area. "Yeah, we probably should both get some sleep. Don't want either of us to fall asleep at the wheel."

"I'll definitely pass on that. I have too much left to do in life first."

"What do you do?"

"Uh, I'm a travel journalist."

"You've been all around the world then?"

Sabrina shrugs. "Some places, hopefully yes to your question by time I am too old and tired to travel anymore."

"I enjoy travelling all over."

"Are you a journalist, too?"

Nick shakes his head and laughs. "Oh, no. I'm an awful writer."

Sabrina smirks, leaning back against the kitchenette counter. "Alright then. What do you do?"

"I'm a local tour guide."

"Doesn't local mean once place?"

"It's more broad than that. I work as a tour guide in many places. My dad was in the military so I travelled to many places as a kid. Now I go back to those places and work as a tour guide for a while before moving on to the next place."

"Sounds fun."

"As fun as being a travel journalist, surely."

"Maybe we will meet back up again somewhere," Sabrina muses.

"If you're ever where I am tour guiding at the time, I'll happily give you a free tour. Help you out with your latest article."

"I will definitely hold you to that."

"I'll hold my own self to it as well."

"Alright, well goodnight," Sabrina says, heading for the bedroom. "It was really nice meeting you and talking for a bit."

"Same to you." Nick smiles. "Who knew a snowstorm could turn out to be a good thing?"

"It did turn out well, didn't it?"

"Yes, it really did."

"I'll maybe see you tomorrow before one of us leaves."

Nick nods. "Maybe."

"Okay. Night."

Sabrina offers him a brief smile before heading into the bedroom for the night. Despite what she'd said earlier, she did not lock the bedroom door. Her gut wasn't giving her a reason to fear him over night; said gut had rarely steered her wrong in the past.


	2. Icy Roads

The scent of fresh brewed coffee permeates the air, successfully waking Sabrina up the next morning. It took a few minutes for her to get in the mind set to get up. She sat up, raising her arms over her head to stretch out any kinks her sleep may have caused her. Then, awake enough, she got out of bed, made it up and headed to the bathroom to complete her morning routine.

Afterwards, she followed the path that the aroma of coffee left for her. She was surprised to find Nick in the little kitchenette area, leaning against the counter and holding out a cup of coffee to her. Sabrina eyed him and the cup suspiciously for a moment before reaching out to take it.

"How do I know you didn't poison this?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

He tilts his head, staring at her with an amused grin on his face, and chuckles. "Would you like my cup instead?"

She glances at his cup sitting next to him on the counter and back to hers, then she shakes her head. "I think I'll keep mine," she tells him, bringing the cup up to her lips. "My gut isn't giving me a sign to not trust you in this moment."

"That's good to know."

Sabrina swallows the warm liquid, letting it warm her on the inside. After taking another sip, she places the cup down on the table behind her before turning to go back to her room. "I guess I should begin preparing for my drive home."

"You're not going anywhere," Nick says, causing Sabrina to tense up a bit as she hesitantly and slowly turns around to stare at him. "Neither am I."

"Um... why not?" Sabrina asks, backing away slowly.

Noticing her movements, Nick is quick to clarify. "My bad. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as sounding creepy," he assures her. "I mean, we're snowed in. The roads are closed due to icing over."

Sabrina smiles in relief. "Oh, that's good then. Why not just come out and say that?"

Nick shakes his head and chuckles. "I wasn't even thinking about how I was sounding," he admits, his cheeks turning a tinge red. "I will be sure to think about my words before letting them out next time."

"I guess I should get the rest of my bags out of my car," Sabrina says, walking over to the coat rack where her jacket is hanging.

"I probably should, too. Who knows when the snow will start back up."

"Wait a second," Sabrina says, turning back to Nick as she puts her jacket on. "Are we going to be expected to pay for more nights?"

Nick shakes his head. "That was the first thing I asked the woman at the desk... whose name is Annie, by the way. She said due to the circumstances the rest of the stay is on the house until the roads open back up."

"Okay, good. 'Cause I most certainly don't have enough money for too many more nights here." Imagining the contents of her wallet after last night, she adds as an afterthought, "If any at all."

"If we had to pay, I still have money," Nick informs her. "I would've paid."

Sabrina is appreciative, giving him a brief smile. "That's sweet and all, but I'm more of a half and half girl. Equality and independence is a big thing for me."

Nick nods. "I get that. But if I'm the only one who has money..."

"I'd have to pay you back somehow," Sabrina finishes for him.

"I'll give you my Pay Pal info, you can repay me anytime."

"You barely know me and you're already trying to keep in touch after we part ways," Sabrina teases, a smirk playing at her mouth.

"I'm sure we'll know each other well by time the roads are safe enough to drive again."

All joking aside, Sabrina stands up straight and sets her face with a serious expression. "How long is this going to take?"

Nick shrugs his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know. The weather app says it's supposed to snow heavy, off and on, for the next week or so."

Sabrina's eyes widen. "I was supposed to be home tonight!"

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen. Not tomorrow, or the next day either."

Sabrina sighs, running a hand through her hair. "I guess I should call my aunts and tell them what's happening."

Nick nods. "I would."

"Do you have anyone you should call?" Sabrina asks before she can stop herself.

She doesn't get a response right away. It makes her feel even worse about asking.

"Uh... I already did before you got up."

Sabrina senses that he's lying, but she's done enough at this point. She just nods and accepts his response.

"Alright, well, I'll go call them," she says, not making it to the bedroom fast enough.

She slams the door behind her, leaning up against it. Shaking her head, she slaps herself in the face. How rude of her to ask such a thing unprompted? Yes, it sounds like an impersonal question, but it's not. And that was proven by Nick's reaction to her question. Sabrina honestly couldn't feel worse than she did in that moment.

**~snowedinn~**

Sabrina doesn't leave the room for half an hour after that. She calls her aunts to let them know what is happening, which takes about 10 minutes. Then she does anything she can think of to keep herself in the room for another 20 minutes. Maybe her embarrassment will have gone away by then. It does a little bit, but there's still some there when she opens the door, and steps out into the living area. She'll just never bring it up again. That works.

Nick is sitting on the couch with the tv remote in hand, flipping through channels. Sabrina looks towards the tv and is shocked to see that it's a flat screen. What kind of bed and breakfast inn has a big flat screen tv? This inn just sky rocketed to number one best inn she'd ever come across in her journalism travels. Being stuck here for God knows how long was just made even better.

"Are we going to be stuck inside the whole time, or is there something to do around here?" Sabrina asks, making her way over to the window to look outside.

It wasn't snowing at the moment, but there was definitely more snow on the ground than the night before.

"I'm not sure. We could go find out."

Sabrina turns away from the window. "Let me get my stuff from my car, and then we can go do that."

Nick turns off the tv and stands up.

"Or we can do that first, and then get your stuff when we come back," Nick suggests, stretching his arms over his head which causes his shirt to ride up slightly and reveal a slither of skin.

Sabrina looks away quickly, not wanting to get caught staring. She already embarrassed herself enough for one day.

"That could work, too."

Just then, Sabrina's stomach makes a rumbling sound.

"Or we could even go eat first, then look around, and get my stuff after that."

Nick laughs, nodding his head. "That sounds like a plan."

**~snowedinn~**

"Oh my god. This place is so stunning!" Sabrina exclaims as the bar and restaurant area of the inn appears in her sight.

The bar is situated in a circle shape with ten gorgeous red wood stools with leather seating surrounding the countered half of the bar. On the other side of the room, there are a few tables spread out for dining near the fire place. The windows on that side of the room reveal an unbelievable view of the lake outside.

"I'm going to call my aunts and tell I'm not coming home. I'm going to rent out a room to live in here," Sabrina muses, taking in the sight before her.

"I thought you didn't have that kind of money?" Nick says, slight amusement in his voice.

Sabrina shrugs. "I'll get a job here, or somewhere in town," she says, walking over to the table by the window. "This place is my forever home now."

"I'm not so sure that is how inns work."

"Okay, so maybe not. But I'm a travel journalist, I can always come back here every time I'm in New York and stay here. I can pretend it's home."

"Just keep in mind, it costs $165 a night under normal circumstances," Nick tells her, pulling out her chair for her.

Sabrina frowns, sitting down. "You couldn't let me have this, could you?"

Nick laughs as he rounds the table to the other side and sits down. "It would've been worse if I waited until you planned out everything before bringing you back to reality."

Sabrina sighs. "I suppose."

"That's not to say you can't come back to visit whenever you do have the money."

"But that's the thing of being a travel journalist, I get paid differently for every job. I don't know when I'll have the money, and surely this place is often booked in the summer months."

"You were able to get a room tonight. Maybe come during the winter when bookings are less likely."

Sabrina mulls it over for a short period of time. "Maybe. I'll likely spend a few hours before bed planning it all out."

Nick smiles.

"What's that smile for?"

He shrugs, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward on the table. "Just you."

Sabrina narrows her eyes. "What about me?"

"You just surprise me is all."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure. There's just something about you."

"That could be a good thing, or a bad thing."

"Good thing. It's definitely a good thing."

"I suppose that can settle me for now," Sabrina teases, picking up her menu from the table. "Now how about we order some food. I am famished."

**~snowedinn~**

Sabrina lets go of her fork, causing it to fall and clang loudly against the plate. "I can't eat another bite," she says already reaching for her fork again. "But it's just so good. I wonder if they have to go boxes so I can snack on the rest later in our room?"

"Don't make yourself sick," Nick warns, shaking his head. "You'll regret it. Especially when we have full free reign of the entire inn. You wouldn't want to be sick the whole time, would you?"

Sabrina retracts her hand. "That's a good point."

"I still want to save this for later."

Nick nods his head towards something behind her. "Ask the waiter when he returns, or just grab that box off of the bar over there."

"Would I seem lazy if I said I was too full to get up and go get it."

Rolling his eyes, Nick pushes his chair out and stands. "All you have to do is ask."

"I don't want to seem pushy and like I can't do little things like get a box for myself."

"Well, don't feel that way. Just take me getting your box as me doing it for you, but not because you can't yourself. I'm just a polite gentlemen."

"Aw. Thanks, gentle man."

"Don't get used to it.," Nick teases, placing a Styrofoam to go box down in front of her.

"Thank you."

"Don't say I never gave you anything."

Sabrina plays along with a smile, piling her leftovers into the box. "I wouldn't dare."

"Are you ready for site seeing?"

"If by sites, you mean, checking out the inn grounds, then yes. Yes, I am."

Nick stands up, rounding the table to help Sabrina up. "Milady."

Sabrina grins, taking his hand. "Milord."

"Community?"

"You watched that show, too?!"

"Didn't everyone?"

Sabrina stands up. "I guess we can be the new Jeff and Annie."

"Minus the age difference, not that there is anything wrong with age differences, and the forbidden love."

"Who is to say we wouldn't be forbidden?"

"Maybe we have feuding families," Nick suggests in a teasing tone.

Raising an eyebrow, Sabrina asks, "So now we are Romeo and Juliet?"

Nick shrugs. "We could be. We don't know."

"Minus the dying in the end because of a stupid misunderstanding that could have been avoided."

Nick nods. "All Romeo had to do was check Juliet's pulse."

"Apparently, it was meant to be a tragedy no matter what, so the character had to be dumbed down to make it so."

"Sounds about right."

"So where to first?" Sabrina asks as they exit the restaurant area. "If only we had a map."

"There isn't one. I checked with the front desk earlier."

"A real adventure awaits then."

"After you," Nick says, opening the front door of the inn.

Sabrina smiles, walking through the door and out into the cold morning air. "Thank you, Nick."

"No problem."

"It's so gorgeous out here," Sabrina says in awe, looking around the snow covered area.

Everything was blanketed in snow... the trees, vehicles, lawn ornaments. It was all so stunning. Snow in New York, especially the part of the state where Sabrina lives, was not very common. That makes for everything to be more awe inspiring for her.

"You don't get to see snow much?" Nick assumes from where he stands next to her.

She shakes her head. "No, not where I am from."

"It snowed a lot where I grew up."

Sabrina turns her head to look at him. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly jealous."

"Next time it snows there, I'll figure out a way to send you some."

"Unless you have magical powers that I am not aware of, that's never gonna happen."

"You could give me your address."

A laugh escapes Sabrina as she processes Nick's words. "Is that what this was? A way for you to try to get my address?"

"No, of course not."

"Good. 'Cause I still barely know you. You could still be a serial killer who is just acting all nice to butter me up."

"I could say the same about you."

"I guess we're at an impasse, then."

"We can still have fun while at that impasse, though."

Sabrina nods. "Agreed. Let's go explore the grounds, possible serial killer."

Nick extends his hand in a "you first" manner. "After you, fellow possible serial killer."

**~snowedinn~**

The grounds of the inn were just as nice as the inside of the inn was. The snow blanketing the grounds did help slightly. But even without the snow, Sabrina felt like she was in paradise. Sorry beach paradise, you've been replaced.

"I feel like I'm in a hallmark movie," Sabrina muses from her place atop the bridge going over the frozen pond.

"I'm not into those types of movies, so I will take your word for it."

"You should. This is the setting a Hallmark Christmas movie would take place in." Sabrina leans against the bridge railing and looks over at the pond below. "I wonder if the ice is strong enough to hold my weight."

Stepping next to her, Nick looks over the railing, too. "I mean you could try if you want to. But I wouldn't recommend it."

"I'm tempted." Sabrina turns her head towards him. "Life is all about taking chances, right?"

Nick shakes his head. "Not so sure this is the type of chance the saying is meant to refer to."

Sabrina shrugs. "Someone is a party pooper."

"No, I'm just a realist."

"And that's why you're the tour guide, and I'm the journalist."

"Ouch, that hit hard," Nick says, putting his hands over his heart and feigning hurt.

"I just tell it like it is."

"Even if it's painful."

"Better an honest person than a liar."

"True. Point well made."

"If I try this, will you hold my hand and pull me back if the ice starts to crack?"

Nick's jaw drops slightly. "You really want to do this."

"I really do."

"You're going to be trouble for the next week or so, aren't you?"

"Depends on your definition of trouble."

"It's possible it may change by time we part ways."

Sabrina grins at him as she pushes away from the railing and goes to leave the bridge. "I may just have to make that my mission."

"Don't forget the roads are closed off, Sabrina. If you fall through the ice and injure yourself... you're screwed."

Sabrina rolls her eyes. "I'll either feel or hear the ice start to crack. Besides, you'll be holding my hand, so you can pull me back if something happens."

"You have too much faith in my ability to not panic in intense situations."

"Are you saying you're a panic prone individual?"

Nick sighs, ignoring her question. "This is not what I signed up for."

"Why not tell me not to do this?"

"It's not my place to tell you what to do, or try to stop you."

A big smile lights up Sabrina's face. "Very good answer," she commends, looking back at him. "I'm really liking you so far."

Nick smiles. "My mother raised me to be a gentleman."

"I can tell... she definitely raised you well."

"I will tell her you said that."

"Okay, give me your hand," Sabrina says, reaching back to him as she stands beside the pond.

"You're really doing this?" Nick asks, grabbing her hand and holding tight.

Sabrina smiles. "Life is too short to play it safe all the time."

"That's debatable, but who am I to argue with something you want to do yourself?"

"If you hear a cracking sound, yank my butt back on land."

"You can count on me."

"Alright, here goes nothing... one, two... three."

Sabrina steps forward onto the ice, remaining completely still for a few moments until she feels safe enough to move forward a step. "See, everything is fine. I'm good. And the ice is still frozen."

"For now."

Sabrina rolls her eyes at Nick. "You're such a buzzkill."

"You say buzzkill, I say cautious."

"Again, that's why you're a tour guide and I'm a journalist."

Sabrina takes another small step forward, going further out onto the ice. Nick's grip on her hand tightens.

"Why such a tight grip?" Sabrina asks in a teasing tone, purposely jumping up and down twice on the ice. "I'm fine. The ice will hold me."

"For a while, but neither of us know how thick it is."

"I'm fine, Nick. I prom..." Sabrina is mid step when there is a sudden cracking sound. "You heard that, too, right?"

"I think it's time you come back onto land where it's safe."

Nodding her head, Sabrina agrees. "Yeah, fun time is over now."

She slowly makes her way back to land, but accidentally steps on the part of the ice that had cracked moments before. The bottom of her foot sinks into the crack, breaking it, causing some water to gush to the surface.

"This was not my best idea."

"I tried to tell you!" Nick exclaims, wasting no time yanking hard and pulling Sabrina off the ice.

He loses his footing as he pulls her and falls backwards onto the snow covered ground; Sabrina lands right on top of him. Her breath catches when she looks down and makes eye contact.

"So that happened," she says, out of breath, trying not to think about the position they are in.

"I told you something like this would happen."

Sabrina rolls her eyes. "You're a buzzkill in every situation, aren't you?"

"Depends on your definition."

"I... we should probably get up."

"Roll off of me, and we can."

Sabrina hesitates for a moment, but then does just that. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"No worries."

_Talk about awkward, _Sabrina thinks to herself as she stands up and brushes the snow from her clothes.

"Wait, you have something in your hair," Nick tells her, stepping closer and reaching for her.

"Snow?"

Nick shakes his head, bringing his hand back to reveal a red rose.

Sabrina's eyes widen. "Where'd you get that?"

"We fell into a rose bush."

"Oh, well then uhh..." Sabrina trails off unsure what else to say. She takes the rose, feeling as if it'd make the situation so much more awkward if she didn't. "...umm... so where to next?" Sabrina asks, panicking.

"Seriously?"

"Come on, we have much to do!" Sabrina exclaims as she rushes away.

**~snowedinn~**

After the awkwardness that was the rose situation, everything dwindles down. Sabrina fakes not feeling well to go back to the room. She grabs her bags from her car on the way back inside, as was the plan all along. Giving him no chance to say anything to her, Sabrina is telling Nick she's going to lay down the second they enter their suite.

She enters the bedroom and shuts the door quickly behind her, locking it. The bed is so close, yet so far away. Sabrina wants to curl up in a ball under the covers and never come out. But she is not that girl. She will not be _that_ girl. No matter what.

Truth be told, she is going through a reasonably tough break up. Her and her boyfriend, from since she was a kid, had broken up only a month before. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was still healing from it. And that rose had just brought it all back to the surface.

Nick deserves to know why she reacted the abrupt way she did, but Sabrina isn't sure she wants to explain her relationship status to him. He is still a stranger to her. Why would she let him in like that after only knowing him for a night and a day? Do people in real life really do that? Or is it really just a thing of the movies?

He deserves to know, but right now is not the time to fill him in. And that is the reason why Sabrina decides she will stay in the room for as long as she can. She has snacks in her bag, dinner can be missed for one night. Missing dinner was much better than going back out there and dealing with yet another awkward situation. Nick will still be there in the morning.


	3. About Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not beta'd, but it's long overdue that I posted it. So hopefully there aren't any very noticeable issues with the chapter. We all need Nabrina happiness though, so it's time. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything CAOS related. I am just borrowing some of their characters to play around with.

The clock shows 5:55 in bright red numbers when Sabrina opens her eyes and looks over at it. That's way too early to be awake on an impromptu vacation day. Sabrina rolls over, curls up under the covers, and closes her eyes. A few more hours of sleep is best case scenario. Anything that prolongs having to confront the awkwardness of the incident the day before is good in her book.

She manages to fall back to sleep for about an hour. The next time she awakens and looks over at the clock, 7:07 is beaming back at her. Sabrina sighs, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. She knows she has to get up and go out to Nick. Staying inside the room for days is not something she can realistically do. Not to mention, even if she could... doing so would make her _that _girl. And she refuses to be that girl. Not now. Not ever. Nope. No way. Ain't happening.

With a sigh, Sabrina throws the covers off of herself and takes her time getting out of bed. She goes about her morning routine, not bothering to speed up the process. She's not on location in a rush to get to an interview or anything. It's vacation time so there's no rush. That and she's also avoiding seeing Nick after yesterday. But she can't do it all day. Once she has taken care of her morning routine, Sabrina stands in front of the bedroom door. She takes a deep breath and turns the knob.

Sabrina steps out into the living area, looking around to see where Nick is. He's not anywhere to be found. The living area is just an open space, not much places to hide. Not that that's what she thought Nick was doing. He probably went to go get some breakfast or something.

She walks over to the kitchen area to make herself a cup of coffee. There's nothing like a good cup of coffee to help wake up in the morning. And to help calm one down. Coffee was more of a comfort to Sabrina than an energizer like it was to others. Sabrina has her cup of coffee made up when the door opens and Nick comes inside.

"Morning," she says to him.

Nick looks up at her, nodding his head once before looking away, going over to the couch and placing something behind it. "Morning."

"So uh... about yesterday... and last night..."

"It's fine," Nick tells her, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't need to know what was up with you last night."

Sabrina sighs, placing her cup down behind her on the counter. "You don't need to know, but I at least owe you some sort of explanation."

"No, you really don't." Nick walks by her to put a bag on the counter. "It's none of my business."

"Well, too bad... because I'm gonna at least give you a little insight on what happened yesterday and why I acted how I did."

Nick turns to her, crossing his arms and leaning back against the counter. "Alright, if you must. Go right ahead."

"I'll keep it simple for you," Sabrina says. "Yesterday when I slipped and we fell with me on top of you... I sort of panicked. It felt much like a somewhat weirdly intimate moment and it brought back memories of my ex."

Nick raises a brow. "Ex?"

Sabrina nods. "We broke up about seven months ago. I'm mostly over it but random moments make me flash back to it, and I lose my senses."

"That makes sense."

"And that is why I locked myself in the room last night," Sabrina finishes. "I'm sorry if I made it seem like it was something you did. I promise it was not."

Nick nods and smiles briefly. "Thank you for the insight. For the record, I get it." Nick sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I recently ended a relationship as well."

Sabrina is quiet for a second before saying, "Well, now we have something more in common."

"It's not the best thing to have in common with someone, but yes. It seems we do have recent exes in common."

"Alright, so we can move on from this awkwardness now?"

"We definitely can. The sooner, the better."

"Great. So what's on today's agenda?"

"Well, actually... that's what I was doing..." Nick says, trailing off as he walks over to the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know it's not exactly the same as ice skating or playing on the ice, but..." Nick bends down to get something from behind the couch.

"What's that? What do you have?" Sabrina asks, unable to hide her excitement. "What'd you get me?"

Nick stands back up with two pairs of snow shoes in hand.

"A hike in the snow!" Sabrina exclaims, clapping her hands together as if she was a kid on Christmas morning. "I've always wanted to hike through deep snow. It's just the thought of it always seemed like fun to me."

A smile splays across Nick's mouth. "Well, now you get to."

"Oh, yes!" she says enthusiastically, running up to Nick and throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much for this."

Nick shrugs, hugging her back. "It's no problem. Honestly, I've always thought snow shoe hiking through deep snow would be fun, too."

Sabrina pulls back, grinning from ear to ear. "That's great, because now we get to try it out together."

**~snowedinn~**

Sabrina steps forward and watches as her foot sinks and the snow comes up to her ankle. "How did the snow get this deep over night?"

"I suggest taking that up with mother nature," Nick teases. "Good luck getting a response."

Rolling her eyes, Sabrina sticks her tongue out at him. "Ha freaking ha. So funny."

Nick laughs. "In all seriousness, it's clear that it must've snowed worse than we thought."

"Apparently." Sabrina giggles, taking another step. "Every time I take a step, I lose one of my feet."

"As long as you get it back, it's all good."

"Unless I fall into a hole that I can't see and break my ankle."

"Considering you're wearing snow shoes, the hole would have to be a big one," Nick points out. "Also, where was this hesitance yesterday when you almost fell through the ice of the pond?"

Sabrina shrugs. "That's different." She rolls her eyes. "And we don't know what mother nature has planned. Maybe there are big holes in the ground."

"I'm sure the groundskeeper would've made sure to fill it in."

"We will see if I fall in something, or not."

Nick cracks a smile. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Sabrina half glares at him. "I didn't fall in yesterday. You pulled me back before that happened," she tells him. "Therefore, this would in fact be my first time. So ha! There!"

"Is that suppose to make the situation better?"

"Oh, shut up!" Sabrina shakes her head as she turns away from him, lifting her foot out of the snow to take another step. "Let's go explore, there's no way to know when the snow will start back up again."

"Whatever you say."

**~snowedinn~**

"Look at this view. It's stunning," Sabrina says in awe, looking out over the ice filled lake.

The lake isn't fully frozen like the pond was, but there are chunks of it. It's definitely not one Sabrina would try out, even if it was tempting. She'd seen it in many cartoons where the characters would jump the ice across the lake or whatever body of water. It always looked fun to her as a little kid. She was far smarter now. Well... mostly.

"It is rather spectacular," Nick agrees, coming up beside her. "You're not planning on crossing this one, are you?"

Sabrina looks at him and half glares. "Shut up."

Nick shrugs. "I'm only wondering. I need to know if I should plan my rescue out or not."

"Haha. So funny."

"I'm just basing this on what happened last time. I want to be prepared in case of an emergency."

"You're very close to getting smacked," Sabrina says, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe even punched if you take it too far."

Nick ponders her threat for a moment or two before backing off. "I'm sure your smacks and, or punches are not to be trifled with."

Sabrina smirks smugly. "You'd be right," she tells him. "I don't suggest you testing it out for yourself, just take my word for it."

"I think I'll do exactly that... take your word for it."

"Good call."

"It is so beautiful, though. Truly tempting." Sabrina sighs, not being able to take her eyes away from the half iced lake. "Being able to walk on water would be so cool."

"Shame you're not a witch with water specific powers."

Sabrina turns her head and gives him an innocent smile. "Who says I'm not a witch? Maybe I am, and you just don't know it?"

"Are you a witch?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Sabrina replies, "You never know. Anything is a possibility."

"Well in that case, if you are a witch... just don't turn me into a toad."

"Make sure you stay on my good side then."

"I will keep that in mind."

They stand there for a while, quietly taking in the sight before them. That is until snow starts to lightly fall.

"We should head back before we get stuck out here in a blizzard," Nick says, placing a hand on Sabrina's shoulder.

"Is it supposed to be a blizzard type snow tonight?"

Nick shrugs. "I'm not sure. But I'd rather not find out while stuck out here."

Sabrina nods. "Good point."

"Shall we?"

"We shall."

"After you." Nick smiles, extending his arm in a you first gesture.

"Thank you." Sabrina smiles back as she walks by him. "What a gentlemanly thing to do."

"I try."

Sabrina rolls her eyes, laughing.

**~snowedinn~**

"Brr! It's so freaking cold out there!" Sabrina exclaims, rushing into the inn as she rubs her hands together.

"As if it wasn't cold before?"

Sabrina turns to Nick and offers him a mock glare. "It's worse with the snow falling now."

"Sure, sure."

Shaking the snow off herself, Sabrina ignores him and changes the subject. "I am hungry. Let's go check out what's for dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Nick says just in time for his stomach to grumble. "And that sounds good to my stomach, too."

Sabrina laughs. "Obviously." She unbuttons and unzips her coat, pushing it off. "I'm thinking seafood. Pretty sure I saw a seafood platter on the menu earlier."

"Seafood sounds tasty. Shrimp."

"Scallops."

"Wrapped in bacon."

"Oh my gosh, yes!"

"Crab."

"I'm not really a crab fan."

"Lobster?"

Sabrina shakes her head.

"Truthfully, neither am I."

"Really? I've never met anyone else who doesn't like crab or lobster. Most times when someone says they love seafood, it's all seafood."

Nick shrugs. "I'm not that someone."

Sabrina grins. "We really do have more in common than I ever thought we would."

"Fate threw us together for a reason."

"That's seeming more and more like the truth."

"But for what reason did fate throw us together is the question."

"I presume only time will tell."

"Or has it already told us, but we just missed it?"

Sabrina raises an eyebrow. "Umm... if you ever get tired of travelling and tour guiding, I suggest going to school for philosophy."

Nick shakes his head. "Just the idea makes my head hurt."

"School not your thing?"

"I left the second I could and never looked back."

"You never went to college?"

Nick shrugs. "Wasn't in my plans," he admits. "But look at me now, I'm living my dream comfortably. College isn't needed for everyone."

Sabrina nods. "I get that. I actually only went to community college before deciding full on college was not for me."

"And your life turned out nicely as well."

"It did. It really did."

"You ready to go eat?"

"Am I ever? I feel as if any second my stomach will eat itself."

Nick laughs. "Well, we can't have that, can we? Let's go eat."

**~snowedinn~**

"Remind me next time that just because I'm hungry, it doesn't mean I should eat until my stomach hurts." Sabrina leans back in her chair and unbuttons her jeans. "I never learn."

"You and me both," Nick agrees. "That was good food, but maybe too good."

"I wonder if there is a gym here."

"It's possible, we can ask."

Sabrina groans, frowning. "Eh, I'll pass. I know I'll be back to feeling too lazy to work out once my food digests. My genes will keep me in shape."

"If only I were as lucky."

"If there's a gym here and you want to work out, I have no problem keeping you company," Sabrina offers. "I'm on vacation, so I do anything that allows me to relax."

Nick raises an eyebrow. "Let me guess, so you can ogle me?"

Sabrina shrugs. "Maybe... if you don't mind, I'll gladly cheer you on."

Nick laughs. "As long as you look but don't touch, I think we can arrange a little something."

"That sounds like the perfect relaxation activity to me." Sabrina grins, leaning back in her chair. "Nothing wrong with an easy day of looking and admiring."

"Oh, I bet."

Stretching her arms over her head, Sabrina says, "Well, I'm spent and have a full belly." She pats her stomach and sighs. "I am ready to go back to the room and see what's on tv."

"I'm with you," Nick agrees, pushing his chair back so he can stand. "A relaxing night in sounds perfect after the eventful day we've had."

Sabrina stands as well. "Put my pajamas on, get comfy on the couch and watch tv until I'm ready to go to sleep."

"Which couch? You're not going to take over my bed are you?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on what kind of mood I am in when we get back to the room," Sabrina teases with a mischievous smile.

**~snowedinn~**

Later that night after watching tv for a few hours, Sabrina finishes getting ready for bed and walks out to say goodnight to Nick. The sight she comes across is hilarious, Nick is trying to get comfortable on the couch but he's a little too tall to fit on it completely. Sabrina tries not to laugh, but isn't able to hold it back.

Nick turns to her and mock glares. "You laughing at me?"

Sabrina shakes her head. "Nope."

"Liar."

"Why don't you come to the bed?" Sabrina suggests, leaning against the door frame. "You barely fit on that couch. Looks really tight, cramped."

"I'm fine," Nick assures her, but not convincingly.

Sabrina shakes her head and laughs briefly. "Sure, sure. That's totally how it sounds."

"I really am fine."

"You know men and women aren't too different," Sabrina tells him, giving him a pointed look. "Even men who say "I'm fine" aren't actually fine most times."

Nick opens his mouth, likely to argue, then promptly closes it.

"Exactly. There's no point in arguing because you know it's true."

"Are you sure you're okay sharing a bed with a stranger?"

"I mean, you're not a complete stranger anymore," Sabrina points of. "And this bed is a king size, I think we can both fit and still have room not to get onto each other's side."

"If you're sure."

"Would you like us to make a pillow barrier between us? Will that make you feel better?"

"As a matter of fact, it would."

"Fine then, we'll make one."

"In that case, I will take the other side of the bed."

"Good. Thanks for not making this go on for any longer."

"What? You wouldn't have stopped arguing about it?"

Sabrina shakes her head. "Nope. Once I set my mind to something, I'm going on and on until it happens or I get my way."

Nick smiles. "A nice, strong drive is always a good thing."

"I think so, too."

**~snowedinn~**

"Umm... Sabrina? What... uhh… what exactly are these for?" Nick asks, the tone of his voice hinting at his slight discomfort... and maybe even a little bit of fear.

"Yeah?" Sabrina responds, looking back at Nick to find him standing at the head of her bed, the pillow thrown to the side.

Nick's eyes drop down to what he's holding in his hands and then back up to Sabrina.

Sabrina's face lights up, and she can't stop from grinning. She shrugs. "I couldn't be too trusting of you. You were still a stranger. I had to be extra careful."

Nick narrows his eyes. "With pepper spray _and _a taser?"

Sabrina shrugs again, turning fully towards him. "As I said, a girl can never be too careful with strange men in their presence."

"That is all they are for?"

Sabrina rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm not into some kinky pain stuff if that's what you're implying by asking."

"That's not what I was going for," Nick says, a smirk beginning to appear on his face. "But now that you'd mentioned it..."

"Don't even go there." Sabrina laughs. "I have to know you so much better before I start letting you in on just how kinky I am."

Nick raises an eyebrow. "So you're admitting you're kinky?"

"Maybe." Sabrina smirks, shrugging a shoulder. "Maybe not."

"Such a tease."

"What about you? Are you a kinky guy?"

"It goes both ways," Nick answers, shrugging. "I have to know you better before my kinky side is revealed."

"Touché. Touché."

"Maybe some day, we will find out."

"In your dreams."

"I wouldn't put it past my subconscious."

Sabrina shakes her head, getting into bed and wrapping herself up in her favorite blanket under the bed's comforter. "Oh, jeez." She laughs. If you come to my side and get handsy in your sleep, you're back on the couch."

"I can't be held accountable for what I do in my sleep."

"You just watch... give me a reason."

"Noted," Nick says, getting in on his side.

"Good night, Nick."

"Good night, Sabrina."

Sabrina reaches over and turns off the light on the nightstand. She drifts off to sleep not long after that.


End file.
